By Frank Johnson
Deputy City Attorney, City of Gaithersburg
Roughly two-thirds of Maryland voters approved Question 4, which provides that after July 1, 2023, a person “who is at least 21 years old may use and possess” marijuana (legally referred to as “cannabis”), but Question 4 included a second section making legalization subject to the General Assembly’s passage of legislation providing for the “use, distribution, possession, regulation and taxation of cannabis within the state” in what will launch the cannabis industry in a major way. So, the amendment did not remove all restrictions on use, sale, and possession.
The legislation leading to Question 4 was included in House Bill 1 in the 2022 General Assembly, which also passed House Bill 837, entitled “Cannabis Reform. ” This bill took effect on January 1, 2023.
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